Chapter 15: There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
“Wow! Brother, you’re amazing!”
Mibao’s eyes instantly sparkled like stars.
The system, pleased with the praise, became even happier: [But of course.]
Meanwhile, Chaoyang, who had been listening to Mibao talking to herself, furrowed his brows.
Brother?
Could it be that Mibao had imagined a brother out of thin air?
That… wasn’t good at all.
If this went on for a long time, Mibao might develop schizophrenia.
“Mibao, didn’t you say you were talking to an alien? Why are you calling the alien ‘brother’ then?” Chaoyang walked up to her and asked seriously.
Mibao’s brain suddenly froze.
This… this…
Seeing that she couldn’t come up with an answer, Chaoyang became even more certain of his suspicions.
It seemed that after being separated from her father, Mibao lacked a sense of security, so she had imagined a brother’s presence.
“It’s okay, I didn’t mean anything by it.” Chaoyang gently patted Mibao’s head. “Go ahead and keep chatting with… alien brother.”
This needed to be approached step by step, otherwise Mibao might not be able to handle it.
But Mibao only felt that Brother Chaoyang was incredibly open-minded!
“Big Brother, Brother Chaoyang has accepted your existence~”
Her eyes sparkled brightly.
[…Why do I feel like something’s not quite right here?]
“What’s not right?” Mibao asked.
For once, the system really couldn’t explain.
So the two of them just kept chatting away in front of Chaoyang.
It wasn’t until evening that Bald Man and Monkey came to unlock the door. Each of them carried a little one under their arm as they headed out.
As they passed by a locked room, Chaoyang caught sight—through the glass in the door—of the people inside.
Around seven or eight individuals, men and women alike, all with expressions of sheer terror.
Chaoyang understood at once—those must be the people who had been abducted from the villa district.
Soon enough, Bald Man and Monkey carried Mibao and Chaoyang into a spacious room.
Inside were all of Bald Man’s underlings, more than a dozen of them, sitting excitedly around a large table pieced together from smaller ones.
On the table were some food items—cans and snack biscuits.
“Kid, congratulations on becoming one of us.”
Bald Man set Chaoyang down on a chair, then rubbed his head with a wide grin.
“As my little brother, of course you need to celebrate with us.”
Chaoyang’s expression didn’t change much, but Mibao craned her neck toward the table and couldn’t help licking her lips.
She was so hungry…
Since yesterday, she hadn’t really eaten anything—just a few cookies.
“Yo, is the little one hungry?” Monkey noticed the way Mibao was staring longingly and couldn’t help laughing.
He casually picked up a can of meat and tossed it in his hand. Mibao’s gaze followed it up and down, her little head moving like a machine—so much that it looked irresistibly cute.
Monkey found himself thoroughly entertained, thinking this little thing was really fun to tease.
“Wanna eat?” Monkey opened the can of meat and held it in front of her, teasing, “Then what do you call me?”
Mibao’s eyes never left the can: “Thank you, Uncle!”
Monkey: “…”
Monkey: “Uncle?”
Didn’t she used to call him ‘Big Brother’ before?
The others at the table burst into loud laughter.
“Hahaha, Monkey, look at how old you are already—she’s not wrong calling you Uncle!”
“That’s right! And to think you were bragging this afternoon about how the kid called you ‘Big Brother.’ You were just talking big, weren’t you?”
Monkey: “…”
Losing face, Monkey’s expression darkened. He immediately ate the can of meat himself, glaring viciously at Mibao as he chewed: “Ungrateful little brat!”
Mibao: “…”
But… she hadn’t said anything wrong.
Feeling wronged, Mibao’s lips quivered, and her big eyes instantly welled up with tears—looking like she might burst out crying any second.
Monkey, mid-bite with the can of meat: “…”
“Pfft—hahaha! Monkey, look at you, picking on a little kid at your age?”
“Yo, she’s a little crybaby!”
The others at the table teased cheerfully again.
Monkey: “…”
These guys were just here to stir the pot.
On the other side, Bald Man also felt like teasing the kids. He picked up a can and waved it in front of Chaoyang: “Kid, wanna eat?”
Chaoyang looked at him calmly, his face expressionless.
Bald Man: “…”
For some reason, he suddenly felt as if he’d been… looked down on.
Damn it. They were both kids, so why did this one feel so unyielding?
Maybe it was just because he was a little older.
So Bald Man turned to tease Mibao instead: “Crybaby, wanna eat?”
Mibao blinked her eyes at the can in his hand and nodded vigorously.
Bald Man chuckled: “Then what do you call me?”
Mibao hesitated a little.
By right, she should also call him Uncle, but just now, after she’d called the skinny uncle that, he hadn’t given her anything.
So, after a few seconds of hesitation, Mibao weakly said, “Big Brother Ba–Baldy?”
“Hahaha! Looks like I really do look young!” Bald Man burst into booming laughter—so loud it made Mibao flinch in fright.
The next second, Bald Man shoved the can into Mibao’s hands.
“Here, eat!”
Mibao’s eyes instantly lit up. Hugging the can, she smiled so brightly her eyes curved into crescents: “Thank you, Big Brother Baldy!”
Then she tugged on Chaoyang’s sleeve beside her, looking at him with sparkling eyes: “Brother Chaoyang, let’s eat together.”
Chaoyang was taken aback for a moment, then curved his lips into a faint smile. “Okay. Thank you, Mibao.”
Bald Man chuckled happily on the side, while Monkey sat there with a face full of gloom.
In the afternoon she’d called him “Big Brother,” and by the evening he’d been demoted to “Uncle.”
He’d only ever heard people say that women could change faces faster than flipping a page, but who would’ve thought such a tiny little girl could pull the same trick?
…
Mibao and Chaoyang were both children, with small appetites. Sharing one can between the two of them was more or less enough.
Even if it wasn’t, they wouldn’t dare ask these men for more.
After all, these people were outlaws. The only reason they seemed friendly right now was because the kids still had value.
Sure enough, once everyone had finished eating, Bald Man slapped the table and started talking business.
“At present, our weapons are insufficient, and the mutation outside is more serious than I expected.”
Bald Man’s face grew grim.
“This afternoon, while sorting things out, Old Wolf and I checked the map. About ten kilometers from here, there’s an armory. Our next target is the armory!”
There’s a saying that’s very true: all fear stems from a lack of firepower!
So, weapons were absolutely indispensable!
“Boss, do we have a plan?” one of the men asked.
The others also looked at Bald Man with curiosity.
And Bald Man…
Slowly turned his head toward Chaoyang, who was a head shorter, then broke into a genial smile.
Sensing the gaze, Chaoyang lifted his head—only to meet Bald Man’s eyes directly.
Chaoyang: “…”
He had a bad feeling about this.
Sure enough, the next second Bald Man’s big hand landed on his head, giving it a rough rub.
“Kid, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Since you’ve eaten our food, it’s your turn to use that brain of yours!”